Mental health is the driving force behind every decision we make—how we live, work, and love. Too many of us suffer from depression and anxiety, impeding our choices and quality of life, and the numbers are growing across the globe despite the proliferation of prescription drugs. But there is another, proven, way to achieve mental wellness beyond antidepressants and talk therapy. Practicing psychiatrist Gregory Scott Brown believes that mental health begins with actionable self-care. Approached the right way, self-care is a powerful medicine that can help you improve and sustain your mental health.

The Self-Healing Mind is a holistic approach to emotional and psychological healing that focuses on how evidence-based self-care strategies can be used to improve mental health. Dr. Brown challenges the current state of mental health care and the messaging around it, showing us how to move past outdated notions of “broken” brains and chemical imbalances. While he agrees that drugs and therapy in some cases are important for healing, his personal and professional experience has taught him that lifestyle interventions are also key to sustainable mental wellness.

Dr. Brown’s clinical philosophy supports an integrative approach that utilizes a combination of conventional treatments (medication and psychotherapy) with what he calls the Five Pillars of Self-Care: breathing mindfully, sleep, spirituality, nutrition, and movement. These purposeful lifestyle practices, backed by science and proven in his clinical practice, can be adopted by everyone. Dr. Brown’s advice and insight puts the power of healing back in your control.

Dr. Brown is a wellness leader whose goal it is to change forever how we think about mental illness and mental health, and to take a full-person approach to our overall well-being. Timely and much needed, The Self-Healing Mind is a fresh perspective that educates and empowers patients to find the mental health care they need.